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By: Jason Rhodes
It seems that customizing Ertl Precisions is becoming more and more popular. There are quite often requests for Precision wheels and parts on Toy Talk and other forums. Precision parts sold on ebay bring a very high dollar as well. I am a big fan of Precision Customizing. Most of the detail work is done on the model right out of the box. It is like anything else, the more you work on and customize Precision's,.. the more comfortable you get working with them.
I recieved the order for this John Deere 630 with a scratch built 40-R cultivator nearly a year ago. It was an order that was refered to me by a friend from TTS. When Ted got in touch with me about the specifics of this project, I knew it could be interesting. Then when I realized there was a John Deere Precision 630 I could base the project from, I became even more excited. We talked about the details of the projects, and then decided to go the Precision based route for sure.
It was about ten months later that I finally ordered in the Precision 630 to begin the project. I am allways impressed with the Ertl Precisions. They have some very nice detailing and features. This one had a rough trip in shipping however, and was allready partially disassembled when I opened the box. The exhaust mainfold had fallen off, and the linkage between the three point hitch arms had broken, so one was spring loaded into the down position. This was not a big concern as the cultivator arms would hold both three point hitch arms in a fixed level position at a later time.
The first step of the process was for me to remove the front machine screws which hold on the weights. I removed the front slab weights, but left the side weights on to be used at a later time. Next I put a piece of steel rod through the front bolt holes which would act as the main support for the cultivator. From there it was a matter of mass producing the many intricate parts to build the eight shank support assemblies. These were made up of steel rod and strips of 18 guage steel. The pictures to the right show how I cut the steel on the bandsaw and then smooth it down on the grinder.
With the majority of the main structural support assembly made, it was now time to make the shanks. I began by drawing out the eighteen spade points on a 3/8" wide strip of steel. Then I cut them out one at a time with the tin snips. The snips bend the steel when you cut the spade shapes out, so I had to bend one corner of each of the spades back into shape with pliars. Next I attached each spade to another piece of pre-bent steel rod. Once all eighteen of the shanks were assembled, I soldered them on to the support arms which I had made before.
The front guage wheels were stolen from a 1/32 scale Chevy Dually. I drilled 1/16" holes through the end of 1/8" steel rod, then attached the wheels to each rod using a finishing nail and a dab of solder. Two of the wheels required the use of 3/16 of an inch of 1/8 inch brake line to act as a spacer. From there it was just a matter of soldering the rods on to their correct locations.
The front support arms and assembly were built last. These were made from 18 guage steel and rods as well. In the last fabrication step, I cut the main support rod in two pieces so I could remove the two cultivator halves. I then removed the two side weights, using one to make the correct cultivator mounting brackets. The picture to the right shows me cutting one of the weights in half on the bandsaw. I then smoothed out the edges and epoxied a thin strip of wire down the middle so it looked just like the real mounts. Next a 2 inch long piece of 1/8 inch brake line was slid through the drilled out front weight bracket bolt holes. With this piece press fitted into place, I could slide the cultivaor halve’s main support rod into the brakeline and move on.
This was a neat custom build to do. I don't get to do many tillage type implements, so it was a nice change of pace. In the end the model had just over 200 individual parts even though it is stationary. I would liked to have added a little more detail, but it was hard working with those small parts as it was. I don't plan on building another any time soon, but it was a good building experience. If you want to try this project, or something similar and have questions, feal free to email me at jason@modeltractors.com
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